This PSA is being brought to you through the eyes of experience! Don't ignore physical sensations (I don't care for the word "symptoms"), but instead pay attention to what they may be trying to tell you.

Case in point: Me! I spent a great deal of my life in fear. Fearful childhood experiences, fearful school and then work experiences, fearful social experiences...and I never understood why. I was always told to "toughen up," shamed for my sensitivity, perceived shyness, and easily triggered emotion.

I've been reading a wonderful book by Dr. Judith Orloff, The Empath's Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People, and it has changed my life. Now I understand! This book "appeared" just when needed (don't ya love when that happens!), as I'm going through a deeply self-reflective process, learning new systems and patterns of thought.

I spent my earlier life in fear because I was a highly sensitive soul in a very dysfunctional household, My mind, body and spirit are all hyper-tuned to energy around me. The result of this untreated life-long sensitivity as an empath resulted in some unpleasant physical reactions (off-balance endocrine system, especially adrenals; frequent headaches; tinnitus; IBS), which I now know are stress responses to energy overload. What a relief - I am neither a freak of nature or truly ill!

I've been working on this idea with a couple of trusted healers as well as my own intuition and guidance, and now I finally understand that there is nothing at all "wrong" with me! Rather, I am learning tools and strategies to ease the stress, tone down the body's response to energy, and change my perception/viewpoint of what is going on. I'm learning to see the tremendous blessings in being empathic, and far from needing to "toughen up," I would benefit by expanding my abilities and awareness!

I'm sharing this because I know for sure I'm not the only person who has or is going through this process. If you are experiencing physical results, do some research to find out what your body (an expert in its own state of wellness) is trying to tell you. Get bodywork, energy healing or spiritual counseling. Learn ways of moving the Qi (energy) through your body with QiGong, Tai Chi, Yoga, dance. Meditate - definitely meditate! 

Accept who - and HOW - you are, and rejoice in all that you can be!

I recently lectured and taught a class on how to discover your life theme. You see, we all have a running soundtrack of sorts, one that's playing in the background, creating opportunities to co-create with the universe. 

That theme song is not consistently playing all of the time, and in fact may change a bit or a lot over a lifetime. 

Let me explain.

If you follow my writing you probably understand a bit about the Law of Attraction (or Manifestation, or Co-Creation). The energy you put out comes back to you in some form. If you constantly say (and believe) that "I can't," then indeed you can't. The Universe will show you more reasons you can't. 

And if you believe that creating what you want in life is easy, then life shows you more reasons to believe that. 

So, consider your life right now. Is the sound track playing a dirge of "life is hard and I can't get ahead"? Or is it playing a lively jig: "WOW this life stuff is fun!"

How can you tell? Think of your interactions with others - easy or hard? Your success, your satisfaction, your contentment - all present and accounted for? Watch your words - are they positive creations or negative? Neither is wrong, but both create - choose your creations carefully.

YOU GET TO CHOOSE! You're the composer, the orchestra, AND the conductor. Decide what you want your soundtrack to sound like, and have fun with it!

Hieroglyphs. Ogham. Runes. Emoticons. Tarot cards. Roman letters. Cyrillic letters. Arabic letters. What do these all have in common?

Symbols. Each image depicts an idea that the creator (and his culture) wanted to communicate to others. Pictures and drawings which have meaning only because they were assigned meaning. They have energy, because the meaning assigned to them contains energy. 

Think of the swastika, for example. The original symbol in shamanic cultures represented the idea of divinity, of spirituality. We all know it was usurped by a culture which did its best to wipe out divinity and spirituality - and therefore the energy of the image changed.

Does this image - 8 - mean anything? As a drawing, no, it's just a twisty line. However our culture has assigned a numeric meaning to it. Turn it sideways - ∞ - and it has a completely different meaning.

I know people who fear runes and tarot cards, for instance, believing they are evil. These people assign the meaning "evil" to the images because that is the energy they are focused on, so that is what they see. I know other people who value these symbols, because love is what they're focused on,  so that is what they see.

When we collect a whole bunch of symbols together, we have an entire system of communication. But the person perceiving (i.e. reading) the symbols will perceive through their own energy filter. This is why symbols and writing will never take the place of face-to-face communication, where tonality and physicality contribute to the meaning.

Is there any wonder why we so often mis-understand? 

No, I'm not talking about what car you drive to a meeting or what you're wearing! I'm talking about how YOU show up to others as YOU! Do you put on a mask or do you show your true self?

I grew up as a very talented people-pleaser, and so that's how I showed up...as whatever others wanted me to be. I paid close attention to cues so I would know how to adjust for the situation. I had no clue who I really was, at the core.

As I gained life experience (i.e. I aged!) I learned that it was not only very uncomfortable to work so hard at pleasing others and never myself, but it no longer worked! The time had come to show my true colors. I discovered in the process that others much preferred that authentic self, with humor and wit, love and compassion, confidence and strength. When I saw those qualities in myself, I saw them in others - funny how that works!

I am now part of such a large, caring community of holistic and metaphysical people. For the most part, we all show up as we truly are, hearts exposed. That by no means implies we're doormats or overly vulnerable, but it does mean that we are not afraid to be authentic. 

I recently met a woman who showed up as domineering, mean, abrupt and rude. I was shocked as I've been unaccustomed to dealing with that kind of energy. I don't know whether that is authentic for who she truly is. I can't judge, but also it is not important to me - it's doubtful I'd see her again. But it got me thinking about what seeds she's planting with that energy.

I choose light seeds!

I recently wrote about how important it is to incorporate play into your time. Play can be a component of "down time" if it is restful, but if play for you is competing in sports, running, or other physical activity, it's also important to remember to rest.

I've always been a hard worker, and as you fellow entrepreneurs know, running your own business is more work than you may have expected. I love the work I do for my clients, and find it vastly fulfilling, but I tire more easily that I used to. (We all know sitting in front of a computer for hours is not healthy!)

Even after all these years as a VA, I am just now getting to the point where I remember to take frequent breaks. Every hour or so I stand and stretch, do some Tai Chi moves, or deep breathing. I take at least half an hour for lunch, and include some light housework (which I usually find restful), light reading, or simply gazing out into the woods. Then in the mid-afternoon, I'll take another "consciousness" break for a few minutes to get away from the computer and back into the real world. What an incredible difference this practice has made in my mood, stamina and productivity!

One problem many business owners struggle with is keeping strict office hours. It's easy when working from home to get so lost in the deadlines that you skip meals, rise too early, go to bed too late, and forget to hydrate. I know a business owner who has made himself so busy that he has neglected his spouse, the properties he owns, and indeed his own well-being. There can be nothing effective or efficient about that!

Take a few moments now to bring to your consciousness how often you rest during the work week. "Log off" often throughout your day, and then at the appropriate time for your business and family situation, "shut down" and let tomorrow take care of itself!

Those of us who live in "light" (i.e. love, understanding, one-ness) often find ourselves running into what I'd call "darkness," people who have forgotten that they too are light. (I wrote this story several years ago - a perfect example.) We can choose to confront the dark, or ignore it, or try to change it, or we can simply continue to shine.

I've been involved in a situation for a few years that has progressed (perhaps regressed) into one of increasing darkness, as those people involved are caught in ego, competition and hatred. I admit that it has been a challenge to deal with, as I'm very sensitive to energy and emotion, but it is a situation I have not been able to instantly change in my life. I recently realized that I have allowed this condition to influence my own peace of mind. Rather than simply shining, I withheld my light from those around me (who, if I am honest, might need light more than most) as I grumbled and resented and crabbed. 

So, now that I realize that I have dipped a toe into the darkness, I choose to change my outlook. While I will not participate in these people's agendas, which would take me further out of my natural state, I will simply be myself, doing what I choose to do, and enjoying the warmth of the light. 

The only thing that can counteract darkness is the light.
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So now it's your turn - in what situations do you find yourself that could benefit from a change in perspective?

A mirror casts only the reflection of what it sees. Something similar happens to people, although we obviously are multi-dimensional.

Anyone who has seen this website knows that I believe in, practice and teach the Law of Attraction. Not so much a “law” as a property of physics, this concept teaches that the vibration we offer as an energy being is cast into the universe and reflects back up on us. So, if you give off vibes of “annoyed,” you entrain back to you more annoyance. If you emit vibes of prosperity, you attract more of that.

Don’t get me wrong – not a mean bone in her body. But she was the complete, expert Victim who consistently attracted more examples of victimhood.

We all know someone who seems to be the life of the party. The happy individual who sees the sunshine wherever he goes, who is enjoyed by men and woman alike as such a bright star. He will inevitably attract more of the people who appreciate and reflect that happiness back to him.

Take a look around you. Without ego (positive or negative) take an objective look at the people in your life, those you spend the most time with. Do you see patterns of behavior? We all take on different roles at different times, and of course we all have human moods and emotions. But what is the overriding theme of those you spend time with?

My suggestion to you is that if what you see is less than ideal, notice what of your own thoughts, emotions and vibrations are reflecting. Taking an objective look or inventory may reveal some previously hidden themes in your own life. And once uncovered, you can take action to change.

If you don’t much like what you see in the mirror, you have the power to change the image!

What does flourishing mean to you? At this season we usually think of a flourishing, thriving garden, full growth, lush fruits and flowers. But what if your garden is arid, unproductive, dwindling? Of course we realize then that something is missing – water, nutrients, sun, or some other live-giving property.

This is your life. Is it arid or flourishing? Abundant and lush or weedy and sparse? The same properties apply: how are you nourishing your life?

Do you feed, nourish and rest your physical body? How can you change your nutrition and eating plan? What forms of mild exercise can you add? What changes can be made to your sleeping to enhance your rest?

And what of your spirit? An important “nutrient,” your spirit governs how your mind and body thrive. What attention are you giving your inner life? Meditation? Prayer? Journaling? Find a way to give more attention to your spiritual connection to whatever you call The Source. It makes no sense to complain that your device is not working if it’s not plugged in – the battery needs fuel!

If you want your garden to thrive, make the changes necessary in your life. Only you can decide what those are. Pay attention to your inner “knowing” – your “higher self” knows exactly what is needed.